Till Death Do Us Part
by Deana
Summary: Frank suffers a horrible tragedy. Will he be able to handle it, and will they find the person responsible?
1. Frankie's got a Girlfriend!

**Till Death Do Us Part**

**A UC: Undercover story by Deana Lisi**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frank Donovan or anyone else on the UC team, but I do own all the other characters. Thanks to The Dreamy One for the story title! :)**

_Coffee._

Frank Donovan smiled as his brain registered the aroma. He kept his eyes closed, lying on his stomach with his arms under the pillow. Trying not to yawn, he wondered what time it was. 

It had been a very hard week for Frank and his team; the case they'd been working on was murderous. Literally. Everyone was exhausted; Frank felt like his brain had gone into overload. He was so dead tired that he'd nearly fallen asleep on his feet in the Nest while they were wrapping things up. With a smile, he remembered the look of shock that had crossed Cody's face at the sight of his boss nearly falling out of his chair. They had all definitely earned this weekend. 

Frank suddenly heard his bedroom door creak open and he pretended to still be asleep. His highly trained senses heard the light footsteps that the average person might not have heard. The coffee smell grew stronger, and he opened one eye slightly to watch the intruder.

The object of Frank's scrutiny quietly set the coffee mug on the night table, and turned to face him. 

Frank closed his eye in time, and waited to see what would happen next. He suddenly felt a feather-light touch on the side of his forehead, and involuntarily shivered as the finger traced his temple and down the side of his face.  

"Good morning." She finally spoke, knowing he was awake by the shiver she'd seen.

Frank opened his eyes and smiled. "Good morning, Raina." The sight of her light brown hair and energetic blue eyes never failed to speed up his heartbeat. Ever since he met her, he had not been able to think of another woman. She had literally become his life over these past ten months.

Raina smiled, sitting gingerly on the side of the bed, purposely staying just out of his reach. 

Frank pulled the covers higher. "Why is it so cold in here?"

Raina shook her head, with a sigh. "Looks like Mr. Tired-as-a-Zombie accidentally whacked the thermostat as he stumbled to bed last night. You must've slept like a log, to not have woken up from the cold."

Frank was surprised to hear that. "Did you turn the heat up?"

Raina smirked. "Of course, silly!"

"_You_ can warm me up," said Frank, grabbing and pulling her down next to him.

Raina giggled. "That's what the coffee is for!"

Frank ran a hand through her hair, giving her a mischievous grin. 

"Uh uh uh! No hankie panky, Frankie!" Raina said, leaping up before he had a chance to think.

Frank laughed at her tease. Reaching over for the coffee, he took a sip, enjoying its perfection. 

Raina watched him, pushing her wavy hair away from her face. "What do you want to do today, Frank? I think you should lie around, get some rest before you go back to the grind on Monday."

Frank put the coffee mug down again, nodding. He was still tired. 

"How about I go rent some movies?" said Raina. 

"What do you have in mind?"

Raina made a face, thinking. "How about the Mummy movies?"

Frank frowned. "You don't have to rent those, I own them."

Raina laughed. "Duh! Come on!" She grabbed Frank's hand, and attempted to pull him out of the bed.

Knowing she wouldn't expect it, Frank yanked on her arm, smiling at her shocked squeal.

"Frank Donovan," she said, when they were nose to nose. "You are a tyrant."

Frank smiled bigger, and was about to say something funny, but he changed his mind. "Yes, but I'm a tyrant who loves you."

Raina smiled ear-to-ear, and closed her eyes, bring her face closer to his.

Frank kissed her deeply, pulling the comforter over both of them. 

Raina suddenly pulled away, and kissed his nose.

Frank smiled at her, and wiped his nose on her shirt.

Laughing, Raina snuggled closer to him, and they lay there silently, enjoying the quiet and each other.

********************

Monday came all too soon, and when Frank walked into the Nest he found his team wearing relieved expressions.

"What?" he asked them.

"You're late," Alex stated, as if he'd been caught doing something wrong.

Frank blinked. "And your point is?"

"You're _never_ late," said Monica. "We were getting nervous."

Frank's face softened. "Sorry, I didn't realize you'd be worried."

Everyone looked at each other in shock at Frank's apology.

"What gives, Boss? You're being nice!" Cody joked.

Frank shot a glare at him. "I happen to be in a good mood, if that's all right with you."

Cody exchanged intrigued glances with Jake.

Frank sat at the table, looking at them. "Do we have a new case?"

They all shook their heads. 

Frank didn't show it, but he was relieved. The last case had worn him out, and he didn't feel like jumping headfirst into something else so soon. Plus, he was ecstatic about something, and felt the unusual urge to tell someone. Who better then the people he worked with every day? People who he'd risked his life for…and they for him. 

"Frank?"

He suddenly realized they'd been speaking to him and he looked up, accidentally whacking a mug of coffee that had mysteriously appeared nearby. Some of the liquid splashed over the side, and he took a handkerchief out of his pocket, to wipe it up. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you caught up on your sleep this weekend," said Alex. "But the fact that you were just staring into space proves that you probably didn't…" her voice trailed off. 

Frank looked up at her, to see the whole team apparently staring at his coffee mug. Frank looked down, to see what was holding their interest.

The handkerchief he used to clean up the spill was delicate and frilly.  

"Uh, Frank…" said Cody, trying not to laugh. "Who does _that_ belong to?"

Frank almost didn't answer, being his usual tight-lipped self. But he realized that it was something they'd _need_ to know, eventually. Plus, he actually _wanted_ to tell them. "It belongs to a woman named Raina."

Every looked at each other, in shock that he'd answered the question. "And she is?" Monica prodded.

"My fiancée." He watched his team's faces as their jaws dropped.

"Your _what_?!" Jake exclaimed.

"Fiancée," Frank smiled. "I asked her to marry me last night."

"Frank Donovan, getting married?" said Cody. "No way!"

"Congratulations!" Alex exclaimed.

"How wonderful!" Monica said. "How long have you dated her?"

"Ten months," Frank told them, seeing their surprise at his answer. He knew his team was amazed at how he managed to keep his personal life on a separate plane from his professional life. 

"Did you give her a ring?" Cody asked, enjoying the fact that they were actually getting info out of Frank, for once.

Frank shot him a look. "Of course I did." He smiled, remembering her reaction upon seeing it. 

"So when do we get to meet her?" Alex asked, excitedly.

Frank smiled bigger, downing the rest of the coffee. "Soon."


	2. Tragic End

Thanks for the reviews! :)

To everyone's relief, a new case didn't come in for them all day. Frank decided to let everyone go early, and they jumped at the chance, leaving quickly, before Frank changed his mind. 

As Frank walked to his car, he saw something that upset him greatly. The right front tire was completely flat, and he didn't have a spare. Muttering under his breath, he looked to see if any of his team was still there.

Jake was just closing his door when he heard Frank call him. Starting up his truck, he hit the button to lower the window. "Yeah, Frank?"

Frank jogged over. "Do you have a spare that would fit my car?"

Jake shook his head. "Mine are too big."

Frank gave a frustrated sigh. 

"I'll take you to buy one," Jake told him.

"Thanks." Frank got into the truck, and Jake pulled out of the parking lot, glancing over at Frank when he heard his boss make an exasperated sound. 

"What?"

"Raina had my credit card," said Frank, looking through his wallet. "I think I left it on the coffee table."

Jake laughed at that. "Women love to shop!"

Frank sighed again. "Would you mind bringing me home first?"

"Sure," Jake said, turning around.

When they pulled up at the apartment building, Jake realized that if they were going to a store and then back to the Nest, he'd have to find a restroom. There was no way he could wait that long.

"Can I use your bathroom?" he asked Frank.

Frank nodded as he got out of the truck. Going into the elevator, they got off on the appropriate floor and entered Frank's apartment.

Jake didn't expect his boss to suddenly stop short, and he smacked into Frank's back. "Frank?"

The only reply he got was what sounded like a strangled gasp. Walking around him, he saw what had struck his boss speechless.

A woman lay on the floor, in a pool of blood. 

"Raina!" Frank exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside her. 

Horror flashed through Jake, at the realization that Frank's fiancée was dead—obviously murdered. He didn't even have to check for a pulse, it was clear that she was no longer alive.

"Raina!" Frank said again, sounding frantic. "No!" 

Jake grabbed Frank's arms and tried to pull him up, away from her body. 

Frank violently pulled himself back, gathering his fiancée into his arms, holding her to his chest.

Jake was shaken at the look of utter grief on Frank's face. Frank was so good at hiding his emotions; Jake knew that this had sent him over the top.

He left the room and dialed Alex on his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Alex!" Jake tried to whisper. "Get over to Frank's place ASAP, tell the others. Raina's been murdered!"

"WHAT?! How—"

"No questions now, just get over here!" Jake hung up on her, and dialed the police. 

********************

When Alex arrived at Frank's, she wasn't sure _what_ to expect. She was nearly heartbroken at what she saw. 

Frank was sitting on the floor, cradling a woman covered in blood, and Jake was kneeling next to him with a supportive hand on his arm.

Alex, being ever emotional, had to force back tears as sirens became heard in the distance. Kneeling on Frank's left, she put a hand on his other arm, trying to see his face.

Frank's eyes were closed, his face buried in Raina's hair. He wasn't making a sound; Alex didn't know if that was good or bad.

"Frank?" she whispered.

Frank said nothing, not even acknowledging their existence. 

The police could suddenly be heard running down the hall, and Alex tugged on Frank's arm, trying to get him up before the cops burst in. Frank stubbornly held onto his Raina, refusing to let go, but with Jake pulling his other arm Frank had no choice but to submit, as they were stronger then him at the moment. 

Frank's legs refused to support him as they tried to get him to the nearby couch, but they succeeded in sitting him down before he fell. He just sat there, not moving, not speaking, and staring at nothing. Alex put her hands over his, hoping to offer comfort as she crouched in front of him.

Jake ran to the door and opened it before the cops had a chance to bust it down.

As the police walked in, Frank blinked, as if coming out of a daze. He suddenly turned around, looking towards the body, as if checking to see that it really was there. Closing his eyes, he turned back around, hanging his head. 

The tears finally rolled down Alex's face, at Frank's obvious suffering. 

Suddenly she felt a hand touch her arm, and looked up to see Monica sit next to Frank, sliding an arm around his shoulders. 

Frank's eyes were still closed tightly, and he was breathing heavily, as if unable to take in enough air. 

Looking towards Jake, Alex saw Chief Morgan with Cody beside him, and a couple officers looking around for clues. 

"What happened?" Morgan asked Jake.

Jake shook his head. "Frank and I walked in, to find this. There is no way he killed her, he was at work all day."

Morgan nodded, not suspecting Frank anyway.

Cody couldn't speak. He looked at Raina's lovely face, and felt horrible. Had she already been dead as Frank told them about her that day? He shuddered, looking towards his boss.

Alex shared Cody's stricken look, and sighed. Looking at Frank again, he continued to breathe too fast and she frowned, afraid he would hyperventilate. She quickly motioned for Cody to come over.

"Get a glass of water, quick."

Cody nodded, dashing to the kitchen. He quickly got it and brought it back, handing it to Monica.

"Drink this, Frank," she said, holding the glass to his lips.

She had to repeat the command before it got through to Frank, and he complied, drinking half of it. As Monica put the glass down, Frank plopped his face in his hands, not even realizing that he was getting Raina's blood all over himself. 

Suddenly the coroner's men wheeled a stretcher in, and that sound seemed to shoot right through Frank, whose head snapped up. He suddenly tried to stand, obviously intent on preventing them from taking Raina away.

The team grabbed him before he could go anywhere. 

"No, Frank!" said Alex. "They have to! Think about it!" She cringed at her last words, when she realized how they sounded.

Frank tried to throw their hands off and get away from them, but Alex's words sank in. The strength seemed to drain out of him, and he sank back down to the couch, dropping his face back into his hands. 

The men zipped up the body bag and Monica felt Frank shudder, as the sound seemed to echo through the room. 

"Raina," he whispered, shaking his head. "Raina..."


	3. Confusion

After the police left Frank's apartment, Jake and Cody tried to clean the bloodstains from the floor, while Alex and Monica sat with Frank. 

"You think he'll be all right?" Cody whispered, trying not to feel nauseated as he wiped at a stain.

Jake sighed. "I hope so."

They both paused in their cleaning, looking towards Frank and the girls. Suddenly they heard Frank speak. 

"I don't want to stay here."

Jake and Cody stood and went closer, exchanging sad glances. They couldn't blame Frank for wanting to leave; a horrible thing it would be to constantly walk by the spot where his fiancée died. 

"Where do you want to go?" Alex asked, gently.

Without hesitation, Frank said, "The Nest. I have to find out who did this."

The team sighed collectively. They knew exactly what would follow: Frank won't eat, sleep, or even breathe until they find the killer. 

"Frank," said Monica. "Listen to us! You aren't gonna get anywhere if you run yourself ragged. Especially at a time like this..."

Frank looked at her like she had two heads. "Someone _killed_ my fiancée!" He stood, legs visibly wobbly. They could see that his whole body was shaking; a combination of intense grief, shock, and rage. 

"Frank," said Alex, taking his arm.

Frank pulled his arm away, and started walking towards the door. When he reached the spot where Raina had laid, he stopped dead, throwing his arm towards the wall to steady himself. 

Jake and Alex reached him by then and grabbed his arms gently, not wanting him to pull away again. 

Alex was alarmed at the way Frank's body shook, and she rubbed his back gently, trying to calm him.

Frank closed his eyes with a shudder. How many times had he come home from work upset, nervous, or stressed from a nerve-racking case, and Raina had rubbed his back to disperse his unease?

He suddenly found that his team had gotten him back to the couch, and he realized to his dismay that tears were sliding down his face. He hurriedly wiped them away, trying to force away more. He could hear Alex and Jake whispering behind him, and tried to listen.

"Either way," Alex was saying. "The Nest will be a place of security for him, and even if he's not doing anything, _we_ will be. _This_ is our new case."

_Our new case…_Frank squeezed his eyes tightly shut, unable to believe that their next case would be the death—the _murder_—of his fiancée.

"Frank?"

He opened his eyes to see Monica's concerned face. "We're getting out of here."

To Monica's relief, Frank didn't shove her hand from his arm as he stood.  He closed his eyes when they passed by the spot where Raina had died, quickly walking out the door.

********************

As they walked into the Nest, everyone watched Frank. 

Standing in the middle of the room, Frank was motionless, almost as if he wasn't sure what to do. _How do I find the person who did this? _he thought. _She had no enemies; there was no one who hated her enough to kill her…_

The team watched him, seeing his indecision. They'd never seen Frank Donovan look that way, to this extent. 

Frank suddenly realized what the next course of action had to be. He turned around, facing his team. "I was the last person to see her," he told them, the words difficult to say. "Question me."

The team exchanged glances with each other. 

"I don't think you're up to that right now, Frank," Monica said. "Why don't you sit down?"

Frank sighed, smacking a hand to his forehead, in immense exasperation. "We _need_ to find her killer!" he said, through clenched teeth. "I can't think," he admitted. "You _have_ to question me; I might know something that could help!" He sighed, knowing he had no idea whatsoever what he possibly might know about this. Raina had never told him of an enemy…or had she? Frank wracked his brain, trying to remember if she'd ever mentioned anyone. 

"I don't know of any enemies," he finally said, with a sigh. "Raina—" his voice broke. Closing his eyes, he continued. "Never mentioned any."

Cody slipped away towards his computers, to look Raina up and see if he could find any helpful info. 

"Maybe it wasn't an enemy," Jake suggested. "We should've looked around to see if you were robbed." 

Frank sighed, not having thought of that; his mind being too frazzled. He realized he wasn't even sure how Raina had died. Was she shot, or stabbed? There was so much blood…

Frank looked down at himself; suddenly realizing his fiancée's blood was covering him. He looked like he'd just walked out of a butcher shop. Feeling sick to his stomach, he turned away from his team, the situation hitting him so hard it was causing him physical pain. Raina—the woman he loved—was dead, horribly murdered. 

Unknown to him, Alex, Jake, and Monica stared at him silently, feeling terrible. Frank hardly ever showed emotion, and didn't give trust easily. They knew it would take a very special woman for Frank to considering marrying. But to have that woman taken from him so cruelly…

Cody joined them, watching Frank with a sigh. 

"Find anything?" Monica asked.

"Not yet."

Alex walked over to Frank, who hadn't moved. Taking his arm, she pulled him to the couch and sat him down. 

Frank looked crushed, thoroughly miserable, an emotion they never saw him openly display.

"We'll find him, Frank."

Frank looked up at Alex.

"We'll find whoever did this," she repeated, vehemently. 

Frank blinked, only now realizing how his team had hovered over him since he and Jake had discovered Raina's body. He was touched, to see the depth of their concern. "Thanks," he whispered. 

The team nodded or smiled slightly at him, at a loss of what further to say.

Suddenly a gurgling sound was heard, emanating from Cody's vicinity. They all looked at him to see a sheepish look on his face. 

"Sorry," he said, thinking it wasn't appropriate at a time like this to announce his hunger. 

Looking at their watches, everyone was shocked to see that it was after 8pm. 

Alex and Monica looked at each other. They had a long, hard case ahead of them, and knew that food was important to help them all hold up. Especially for Frank, who they knew they'd probably have to force-feed.

"Go get Chinese," Alex told Cody.

Cody nodded, his eyebrows rising in acknowledgement of Alex's trick; they knew Frank could never resist Chinese food. 


	4. A Time to Mourn

"I'm not hungry."

Everyone sighed; having a feeling Frank was going to say that. 

"You _need_ to eat!" said Alex, as Cody put the Chinese take-out on the table. 

"I don't want to."

"Frank," said Monica, as she opened a container of sweet & sour chicken. "We understand how you feel, we don't feel like eating either! But we know we _have_ to."

Frank said nothing, from where he still sat on the couch. He'd changed his clothes and washed Raina's blood off his skin…the most difficult thing he'd ever done. His hands had shaken so badly it took him longer then it should have. Closing his eyes, he was still unable to believe this had actually happened. He felt despairing emotions well up inside him, but tried to force them away. There was _no_ _way_ he was going to cry in front of his team.

"Frank."

Frank opened his eyes, startled more then he cared to admit, realizing that Monica was standing in front of him.

Monica sat next to him on the couch, placing a hand on his arm. "I know how hard this is," she said. "But you can't let yourself give in to depression." She sighed. "As much as we think you need some time off, we know you won't take it, and you won't be any help to the investigation if you can't mentally function."

Frank knew she was right, but he was only half-listening. All he could see in his mind was Raina lying on the floor, in a pool of blood. _She died alone._ He closed his eyes at the unbearable thought. 

Monica sighed, looking at the others, to see her sympathy mirrored on their faces. Looking back at Frank, she saw that his eyes were still closed, and she knew he was fighting tears. Understanding the macho mind, she patted his arm and went back to the table, knowing that Frank wanted nothing more than to be left alone. 

The team ate in silence, making sure they saved enough for Frank, should he eventually want it. Knowing that there was nothing they could do until the next day, the team stayed where they were, quietly discussing their boss.

"We aren't gonna all go home and leave him here alone, are we?" Cody asked, concern evident on his face.

Everyone shook their heads, the thought of abandoning Frank to his mind's tortures saddening them. 

"Let's break out the cots," Jake told Cody. 

As the two men left the room, Alex walked to a closet where they kept blankets, for their occasional overnight stays. Monica followed, and they brought them all out, as Jake and Cody returned. 

As the four of them brought the stuff over to Frank, they noticed his eyes were open, and he was looking at them with a slightly puzzled expression.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Staying," Alex simply said. 

Frank was touched at their caring action. Suddenly unable to speak, he said nothing, closing his eyes again.

"Lie down, Frank," said Monica. "Get some sleep."

Frank sighed heavily, knowing that sleep would not come to him at all tonight. He suddenly realized that if he showed his team that, than they would worry about him instead of sleeping themselves. Opening his eyes again, he found everyone looking at him and he lay down on the couch, hoping he was fooling them. 

Alex took a couple of blankets and draped them over him, before returning to hand out the rest.

"Thanks," he called out.

Everyone smiled at him, knowing he meant it in more ways then one. 

********************

All four members of the team had a hard time falling asleep, feeling sorrow for their boss. Their bodies eventually won out, and they all finally slept.

Frank hardly caught a wink. All he could do was think of Raina, and their life together that they couldn't have now. He started to doze off once, but was awakened rudely by an image in his mind of Raina wearing a wedding gown, standing beside him at the altar, giving him the most beautiful smile in the world.  

Alex suddenly awoke, with a slight jump. Opening her eyes, she remembered where she was and immediately looked at Frank. 

Frank was motionless, his back to her. Alex desperately hoped he was sleeping, but she suddenly heard a soft sniff, and realized why she had woken. 

Sitting up, she was about to stand when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping her. Nearly jumping out of her skin, she looked at Monica, to see that she was awake too.

Monica shook her head at Alex, and put a finger to her lips. Reaching towards her purse on the floor, she took out a pen and a small notepad, glancing at Frank to make sure he didn't hear. 

Alex watched as Monica wrote something, and handed it over.

_Let him mourn for her, _Alex read. _Crying is good for people. He needs to let it out. _

Alex sighed, noiselessly, knowing Monica was right. 

Monica took the notepad back and wrote something else.

_I know, it hurts to watch._

Alex nodded at her. She quickly wrote something, and handed Monica the notepad.

_I'm glad he has us._

Monica smiled, with a nod. 

Alex lay back down on her cot, and she and Monica both watched Frank until they fell back to sleep. 

********************

_"I love you, Frank."_

_Frank smiled, as he looked at his wife. They were in the honeymoon suite of an expensive hotel, lying in bed, clutched in each other's arms._

_"I love you too," he said, kissing her head. _

_Suddenly someone knocked on the door, and Raina sat up. "Must be room service. I'll get it, you stay right there!"_

_Frank watched her as she got up, covering her nightgown with a robe as she walked to the door. When she opened it, instead of seeing a hotel employee with the food tray, there was a man dressed in black, wearing a ski mask. _

_The man raised a knife, and Raina screamed as he attacked her with it, stabbing her over and over and over…_

Frank suddenly opened his eyes with a gasp, feeling himself being shaken. Looking up, he saw the worried faces of his team members over him.

The sight of Raina being stabbed to death was still fresh in his mind, and he realized with dismay that he'd cried in his sleep. He pulled the blankets over his head and wiped his face, embarrassed.

"Frank," he heard Alex say. "We're here for you." 

With Frank's emotional state being so fragile, the emotion in Alex's voice was what finally broke his resolve. He couldn't stop the tears, no matter how hard he tried. 

Alex couldn't take it anymore. She pulled Frank up to a sitting position and wrapped her arms around him. She felt slightly awkward at the action, but desperately needed to offer comfort. 

Jake and Cody stood by, not knowing what to do, leaving it to the women. 

"How the heck is he gonna work on this case?" Cody whispered. 

Jake shook his head, but than suddenly had an idea. Walking towards the kitchen, he filled a glass with water and then hunted through the cabinets. When he found what he was looking for, he smiled. 

A bottle of sleeping pills.

Taking one out, he dropped it in the water and watched it dissolve. Picking up the glass, he turned around to see Cody standing there with a smirk.

"Good idea," he said. "But if Frank ever knew you did that, he'd kill you."

Jake smiled, with a shrug. "Oh well."

Leaving the kitchen, they went back to the couch to see Alex and Frank still in the same position. Jake felt even worse for Frank at the sight; Frank was so far gone that he obviously wasn't even aware that he was crying in Alex's arms. _He'll be mortified when he realizes what he's doing, _Jake thought.

Bringing the glass to the couch, Jake handed it to Alex. 

Alex tried to pull away from Frank slightly. "Frank," she said. "Have some water."

Frank heard her voice, but didn't catch the words. Suddenly he felt Alex move, and opened his eyes to see the glass in her hand. He obeyed her and drank it all, starting to come to his senses. 

A handkerchief was suddenly placed in his hand, and he wiped his tear-soaked face, exhaling shakily as he sat back, only now realizing what he'd just done. 'Mortified' was a good word to describe how he felt at the team having witnessed that, and they saw it written all over his face.

"Don't be embarrassed, Frank," said Alex, softly. "We aren't just your employees, we're your friends."

Frank had no answer to that, doubting he could speak with a steady voice. 

"Do you want to talk, Frank?" Monica asked. 

He shook his head. In this case, he disagreed with psychologists that insist that talking about things makes a person feel better. "No," he said, sounding exhausted. "Sorry I woke you all up."

"Don't be sorry, we understand," Alex said, getting up from the couch. "Get some sleep."

Frank sighed. The tiny amount of sleep he'd gotten had been interrupted by a nightmare. He wondered how many more he'd experience in the coming nights. 

His exhaustion suddenly felt doubled. His eyes started to close by themselves and he lay down, shutting his eyes again, unable to reopen them. 

"Wow," Cody whispered. "That took effect real quick!"

Alex and Monica looked at him in alarm. "_What_ did?!"

"The sleeping pill Jake put in the water!"

The girls shot shocked looks at him.

"What?" said Jake. "Tell me you think it wasn't a good idea."

"I didn't say that," said Alex. "I'm just surprised you did it."

Jake shrugged. "He probably won't ever figure it out."

"Let's hope so," said Monica. "For _your_ sake!"


	5. Shocking Details

When morning came, Jake went on a grisly errand; one that he'd hoped to spare Frank. Thankfully, the sleeping pill had knocked him out pretty good, and Frank was still asleep when Jake left. 

As Jake drove back, his mind turned to thoughts of the killer. Who was it? Why had he done such a thing? Would they find the man responsible? They'd solved so many cases; he desperately hoped they'd be able to solve this one for Frank.

When he walked into the Nest, he found Frank sitting up on the couch, looking groggy and still exhausted. The sleeping pill should've lasted eight hours, but Frank's body was likely fighting it, in its stressed-out state. 

"Hey Frank," said Jake, walking to the couch.

"How did she…die?" Frank asked, almost unable to say it. 

Jake was surprised that Frank had known where he'd gone. He sighed, sitting on the couch, facing him. "She was stabbed."

Frank closed his eyes, with a shudder. Raina had been stabbed in his dream. His subconscious mind must have noted it, when they'd found her. "How many times?" he whispered. 

Jake had hoped he wouldn't ask that question. "Four."

Frank put a hand over his eyes when he heard that. Four times, a man had plunged a knife into her body. Four times, Raina had to feel it. How long did it take her to die? Did she lose consciousness immediately and hardly feel a thing, or had she endured the pain of each strike, and laid on the floor completely conscious, dying slowly for hours? 

Everyone was quiet, their sympathy growing even more, if possible. 

Jake put the bag of Raina's things on the table, and Frank opened his eyes. 

"Can I have that?" he asked.

Jake picked it back up and handed it to him, standing when Frank took it with a sigh, carefully pouring the contents onto the blanket that was still on the couch.

Frank sighed again, picking up the necklace he'd bought Raina for their six-month anniversary. It was 14k gold, with two hearts dangling from the chain. 'Two hearts, for the two of us,'he'd told her. 

There wasn't much else besides her watch and a bracelet and earrings that'd belonged to her before they'd met. As he picked each thing up and set it aside, he realized that something very important was missing.

The team noticed his agitation, as he frantically looked around, searching the blanket and looking on the floor. 

"What's wrong?" Cody asked, bewildered.

"The ring…" Frank said, standing. Putting the items on the coffee table, he picked up the blanket and shook it gently, hoping the ring was only hidden. 

The team looked at Jake, who stuck his hand in a pocket, taking out a paper. "They gave me this list of her belongings."

Frank grabbed it. The engagement ring was not listed. 

"He took her ring!" he exclaimed, sounding panicked. "The psycho who killed her took her ring!"

Growing concerned at Frank's nearly hysterical conduct, the team moved closer to him, unsure of what exactly to do. The situation kept getting worse and worse, and they weren't sure just how much Frank could take. 

Without warning, Frank suddenly kicked the coffee table, making it flip over. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten that Raina's things were on it, and they went flying. 

The look on Frank's face changed from sheer rage, to utter sorrow. He gasped, throwing himself to the floor to pick them up. 

In a state of shock at Frank's uncharacteristic behavior, the team looked around, helping him pick up the scattered jewelry. 

Jake grabbed the list the coroner had given him, to make sure they'd found everything. 

"The necklace…" Frank said, not much louder then a whisper.

Looking again, Cody found it under Alex's cot and brought it to Frank, who reached out for it with a shaking hand. 

Once Frank had everything, he closed his eyes, holding the things to his chest for a minute. After the fear of losing Raina's things abated, the rage came back full force, and he reopened his eyes. 

The team was crouching silently nearby where Frank sat on the floor, and they didn't expect him to suddenly give the felled coffee table a savage punch.

Unfortunately, the table was made of solid oak, so the only thing Frank managed to hurt was his hand. 

At his exclamation of pain, Alex and Monica both reached out to check his hand for damage. 

Frank flinched when one of them touched an especially sore spot.

"Can you move it?" Alex asked.

Frank nodded, doing just that.

Relieved, Monica let go of his hand, and looked at him with a sigh. "We know what happened to you is one of the worst things imaginable, but for your own sake, Frank, you have to try to calm down! You'll have a nervous breakdown if you keep this up!"

Frank said nothing, knowing she was right, but also knowing that there was no way he could calm down. _Raina is dead…murdered…_

Suddenly he stood. "We have a job to do."

Everyone looked at each other. "Where do you want to start?" Jake asked.

Frank sighed. "My apartment. We need to see if I was robbed or not. Cody, Monica, stay here and try to see what info you can dig up on…" he paused, unable to even speak her name. 

"Will do, boss."

"Jake, Alex…" Frank motioned for them to follow him, as he headed for the door. 


	6. Something Fishy

Frank felt an increasing sense of distress as they stepped out of the elevator. As he got closer and closer to his apartment door, he had the irrational feeling of wanting to turn and flee the building, not wanting to be in the place where his fiancée had died.

When they reached the door, Jake unlocked it and they went inside. 

"Anything look like it's missing, Frank?" Jake asked.

Getting no answer, he and Alex turned around to see that Frank was still standing in the doorway, staring down at the place where Raina's body had laid. 

"I _knew_ he shouldn't have come here yet…" Alex muttered, rushing over to him. 

Jake followed, and watched as Alex reached out to him, gently pulling him into the apartment. She nearly had to yank on his arm when he stopped walking, before the spot. 

"Frank, look at this!"

Frank tore his eyes away from the floor, looking in Jake's direction. 

The phone was off the hook, dangling to the ground.

Frank frowned, walking closer. Picking it up, he listened to it for a minute, not expecting to hear anything. Hanging it up, he looked at Jake, the same question on both their minds. 

Who had Raina been talking to? 

The murder had obviously happened while she'd been on the phone. The killer had surprised her, and she'd dropped it. That could mean that the person on the other end heard the murder!

"Get to the phone company," Frank told Alex. "Find out who called her, or who she called."

Alex nodded, leaving the apartment. 

With a sigh, Frank looked around, finding nothing missing. Kneeling on the floor, he began looking for the ring. 

Jake joined him, hoping they'd find it, but doubting it. 

They searched for a long time, but came up empty.

Frank sighed heavily, sitting back. He covered his eyes, shaking his head.

Jake said nothing, sighing himself.

"I can't believe this," Frank finally said. "I don't _understand_ this."

Jake looked at him, surprised that he seemed to be opening up.

Frank lowered his hand, looking at Jake. "During all my years in law enforcement, I heard so many people ask the question, 'why?' Sometimes I had an answer, sometimes I didn't." He sighed again. "Now I find _myself_ asking it."

"I wish I had an answer for you," said Jake. "We'll find out when we find this jerk."

Frank nodded, though he didn't look convinced. Standing, he looked around the apartment, avoiding looking where Raina had died. "I forgot the fingerprint dusting supplies."

Jake stood. "We can send Cody here later with them. He'd enjoy that."

Frank nodded, yawning. Cody liked doing occasional things that got him out of his desk chair. 

Jake noticed the yawn. "You should grab some of your things, since you aren't staying here."

Frank nodded. He was glad to have Jake there, to _think_ for him, since Frank's brain felt like it was full of cotton. Tired, still in shock, his mind wasn't functioning normally. 

Jake continued to look around for the ring while Frank gathered some stuff. When he still didn't find it, he stood and glanced around the place, surprised at the lack of clues. The door hadn't been forced, which meant Raina had opened it. She probably knew her killer.

Hearing Frank behind him, Jake turned to see him pulling a large rolling suitcase behind him, and holding something in his arm.

A fish bowl.

Frank saw Jake's humorous look. "It was Raina's," he said, sadly, walking slowly so as not to splash the water out of the bowl. 

Jake took the suitcase for him, and they walked out the door, Frank not looking back. He seriously thought that he could never live there again. How could he stay in a place where his fiancée had been brutally murdered? 

As they got in Jake's truck and drove off, Jake spoke. "We never got your tire."

Frank frowned, having forgotten all about it. He suddenly realized that his credit card was _still_ on the living room coffee table. Or had the killer taken it?

Jake suddenly held his hand out towards him, and Frank was surprised at the sight of his American Express card. 

"Thanks," he said, taking it.

"No problem," said Jake. "It was sitting right in plain view. The guy—" he avoided the word, 'killer'. "—didn't take it."

Frank was relieved, but confused. There were many places where you could use a credit card without having to show an ID, like a supermarket with a credit card machine at the register. Supermarkets nowadays sold many expensive things, not just food…

"What do you think, Jake?" Frank asked. 

Jake glanced at him. "About the case?" 

Frank nodded, valuing his opinion.

Jake thought for a minute. "It could've been someone she knew."

Frank said nothing.

"It looks like she opened the door, which means she knew him. Or, maybe it was unlocked," Jake said.

Frank shook his head. "Not likely."

"Okay. She was on the phone when…it…happened, so whoever she was talking to isn't the killer. But," Jake said, stopping at a red light. "That person may have heard something over the phone line."

Frank grew angry. "Why aren't they coming forward?"

Jake shrugged, as the light turned green. "Fear."

Frank sighed, his hands balling into fists. He bit back a gasp when his still-hurting hand protested the movement.

Jake glanced at him, watching as Frank studied his hand, noticing that his knuckles looked a little swollen. 

Frank threw a sheepish look at Jake, feeling stupid to have punched the table. 

"Guess you'll never do _that_ again, huh?" said Jake, hoping to lighten the mood. 

Frank nodded, with a sigh.


	7. Unexpected Help

After getting Frank's tire, he and Jake went back to the Nest to see a stranger's car parked outside.

"Who the heck does _that_ belong to?" Jake asked, pointing to the black Maxima.

"Not sure," Frank answered. 

They quickly got out of the truck and went inside. When Frank saw who owned the car, he was surprised.

"Frank!" the man exclaimed, rushing over to him. "Long time no see!"

"Gary," said Frank, shaking his head with surprise. "Yeah, a long time."

Garry shook his hand, not noticing the wince Frank succeeded in hiding. "Oh Frank, you look like crap. I am _so_ sorry about what happened."

Frank sighed, nodding his head. 

Gary studied him for a minute, arms crossed. "If I ask you if you're okay, you'll say 'yes' even if you aren't, so I shouldn't bother asking, I assume."

Frank nodded, seeming slightly amused at his words.

The team watched, surprised at how well Gary apparently knew Frank. 

"Before you ask what I'm doing here," said Gary. "It's not just a social visit. I was sent to help you with the case."

Frank frowned. "You were?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah. The situation is so personal, that they felt that you might not be able to solve it easily," he tried to explain. "And since it's personal to you, it's personal for your team." He sighed, looking at the four of them as they stood nearby, listening to every word. "This is a terrible thing that happened to you, Frank, and the DOJ wanted to help you out."

Frank was slightly surprised. Nodding, he looked away, seeking the closest thing to sit on. He noticed that the coffee table was back where it should be, and seemed undamaged. He sat on the couch, not able to hold back a huge yawn. 

"_Someone_ hasn't been sleeping," said Gary. 

"Fill him in, Jake," Frank said tiredly, laying his head back on the couch. 

Jake told Gary all the details, and informed Cody and Monica of the new ones discovered at Frank's place. He'd just about finished when Alex came in, stopping at the sight of the stranger. 

Before anyone had a chance to tell her who he was, they suddenly heard a gasp from Frank, and saw his body jerk. 

Frank opened his eyes, blinking groggily. 

Everyone realized that he'd nodded off, and must've had a nightmare. 

"You okay, Frank?" Alex asked.

Looking anything _but_ okay, Frank nodded, with a heavy sigh. Suddenly he looked up at her, only now realizing she was back. "Phone call?"

Alex crossed over to him. "They're trying to figure out the number it originated from."

Frank nodded. "Good." Suddenly he stood. "I'll be in my office." He started walking in that direction, but suddenly stopped and started towards the door instead.

Jake realized they'd left the goldfish in his truck. He was surprised that Frank remembered it, in his current state. The fact that it'd belonged to Raina was probably the only reason he remembered it.

"I get it," Jake offered. 

Frank stopped, nodding. "Thanks."

Everyone watched as he slowly climbed the stairs, and disappeared from view.

"Poor freakin' guy," said Cody, sadly.

"I second that," said Monica, with a sigh. She looked at Gary. "How long have you known Frank?"

"Years," Gary answered, sitting at the table. "I was already an FBI agent when Frank joined."

"How did you meet?" Cody asked, sitting across from him, dying to find out some info about Frank's carefully guarded past.

"During training sessions," Gary answered. "The FBI does a lot of mock-situations for the trainees, as you know, and I was one of the trainers. Frank was in my 'unit', if you want to call it that. He was an excellent trainee, surprisingly good. He became my assistant, the one I always used to demonstrate techniques and such. It came to a point where I put him in charge of his own group. Then one day, there was a hostage situation at a bank." Gary stood and began pacing. "The local police departments were shorthanded that day, thanks to a strike going on by their union. We were called to go in, and I allowed Frank to come; I felt he was more then ready." 

The team stared transfixed at Gary, immersed in the story, wondering what the outcome would be.

"The thieves finally came bursting out of the bank, firing on us. They were loaded with weapons, which we hadn't been aware of. Many of us were forced to retreat, to find something to hide behind. As I ran, I looked around for Frank, who was supposed to have been with me. I was naturally worried about him, and didn't see the thief that was pointing a gun at me." He paused, pouring himself a cup of coffee. When he turned around to look at the team, he almost laughed at their ravenous-for-info expressions. 

"I didn't even notice the sound of the gunshot, since bullets were flying everywhere. Suddenly something smashed into me, and I found myself on the ground. When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was Frank. He'd not only saved my life, but he'd taken the bullet meant for me."

The team's jaws were practically hanging. 

"Where was he shot?" Alex asked.

"In the side. Missed his spleen by less than an inch."

The team looked at each other.

"Wow," said Cody. "And yet he still managed to lose his spleen years later, in yet another bank robbery!"

Gary shot him a puzzled look.

"Six or seven months ago," said Jake. "He was taken hostage, and got stabbed*."

Realization dawned on Gary's face. "I'd heard about that, but I was on an assignment. I completely forgot."

"So what happened after Frank got shot?" Monica asked.

"Well," said Gary, crossing his arms and leaning against the table. "After I realized that Frank had pushed me out of the way, I hadn't realized he was hurt and I started to get up. Remember, I hadn't seen the shooter in the first place. I grabbed Frank's arm, but he didn't get up with me. That's when I noticed the puddle of blood."

The team grimaced.

"He was still conscious, sort of, so I got him up and helped him out of danger's way." Gary paused again, drinking more coffee. "I found out later about the shooter. There'd been witnesses to Frank's unselfish act, and he was considered a hero. He'd actually managed to shoot the thief, after having already been shot himself." 

"That's our Frank!" Cody exclaimed. 

*'Caught in the Middle': http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=642601


	8. Debates and Speculations

No one realized that Frank had heard every word of what Gary told them; after he'd gone into his office, he'd slumped into his chair without closing the door. 

Frank remembered that day vividly. When the thieves had come running out of the bank, he'd gone one way and Gary another. When Frank had hid behind a mailbox and peered out from behind it, he'd seen Gary running, but then stop and spin in a circle, looking around.

He knew Gary was looking for him, and he was about to call out when he saw a sudden glint out of the corner of his eye, and looked to see a man on a rooftop reloading his gun, watching the unsuspecting Gary.

Without hesitation, Frank ran out from his hiding spot, seeing the man aim his gun. 

Reaching Gary, Frank tackled him as the man fired, and suddenly felt incredible pain lace through his side as they both crashed to the ground. Frank gasped in agony, watching dazedly as his blood quickly started to pool on the concrete. By some kind of miracle, he managed to raise his gun and shoot the man, who fell off the rooftop and disappeared from sight.

Frank had never been shot before, and he knew it had to hurt very badly, but he never knew just _how_ badly until that moment. Suddenly he felt Gary grab his arm, but Frank couldn't get up, nearly paralyzed with pain. 

"Frank?" he heard Gary say. Suddenly he heard him muttering something he couldn't quite make out, and was hauled off the ground.

Frank felt someone else grab him on the other side, and before he knew it, he was being carefully laid on the ground, where he felt an oxygen mask placed over his face and a needle prick his hand.

"You gotta save him!" Gary exclaimed. "He's only 25 years old!" That was the last thing Frank heard before darkness engulfed him.

********************

"What do you think he's doing up there?" Alex asked Jake, who'd just come in with the goldfish.

Jake shrugged, as he set the fishbowl on the table. "You think I should bring this to him?"

"Maybe not, it'll remind him of Raina," Alex answered.

"Then again, maybe you should," said Monica. "He may feel that it's all he has left of her."

"But then, maybe he won't want to ever see it again, _because_ it was hers," said Cody.

"But he brought it with him, right?" Gary asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Well then, he _wants_ it," Gary said, lifting his arm as if to say, 'duh'.

Everyone looked at each other. 

"Good point," said Cody.

"I think I'll keep it down here for now though," said Jake. "And not disturb him."

"But maybe we _should_ disturb him," said Monica. "To try to get him out of his sad, lonely thoughts."

"You can stop your debate," they suddenly heard. 

Looking up, they saw Frank descending the stairs. 

"How you doing, boss?" Alex asked.

"Fine," he said, with a contradicting sigh. 

"Hey, what's the fishy's name?" Cody asked, watching the goldfish swim.

"Fishy," said Frank.

The team laughed at that. 

"Feeshy feeshy feeshy!" Cody said, tapping on the glass. He smiled at the looks everyone gave him. "I always wanted to say that!"*

Suddenly Frank's cell phone rang, and he answered it. "Donovan." 

The team could hear someone yelling through the phone, and they saw Frank's face suddenly register shock. 

"No," he said. "I don't know…" He started to pace. "Of course! What? I…" he sighed, stopping and covering his eyes with his free hand, as the voice continued to yell. "I'm sorry," he finally said. Suddenly the yelling stopped, and Frank lowered his arm, the cell phone falling out of his hand and landing on the couch.

Everyone ran over to him as he sat down, his face in his hands.

"Who was that?" Alex demanded.

"Raina's mother," Frank answered, softly. "She's…" He sighed. "She's blaming me." 

"Oh, Frank!" said Monica, sitting beside him on the couch.

Before anyone could say anything, Alex's cell phone rang. "Hello…yes! What did you find?"

Everyone looked at her, realizing it was the phone company.

"Really?" she said running over to Cody's computers, and grabbing a pan and paper. "Go ahead." She quickly wrote something down, and walked back towards the couch. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Well?" said Jake, as she hung up.

"A cell phone. Someone called her on a cell phone," Alex told them.

"Did _she_ call it, or _they_ call her?" Frank asked, reaching out for the paper and reading the number.

"_They_ called her," Alex told him.

Frank grabbed his cell phone off the couch, and dialed.

Everyone watched, wondering what the person would say.

"Voice mail," Frank groaned. "This is Frank Donovan, an Agent with the Department of Justice. I need to speak to you asap regarding your friend Raina. Call me at 555-1123. Thanks."

After he hung up, Jake said, "What's the person's name?"

"I don't know," said Frank, sounding defeated. "It was a computer voice, not a personalized message."

"Figures," Cody remarked. 

Frank sighed, handing the paper back to Alex. "Call up every cell phone company known to man, and find out who owns that phone."

Everyone nodded.

"Not you, Cody," said Frank.

Cody looked at him, an eyebrow raised. 

"I want you to go over to my place, and dust for prints."

Cody smiled. "I'd be happy to, boss."

"Want me to go too?" Gary asked, walking into the room. "I'll help him out."

Frank waved his hand, as if to say, 'sure'.  

"Where did _you_ disappear too?" said Cody, not having realized Gary was gone.

"The bathroom," Gary said, following Cody around as he gathered the supplies they'd need. 

"Let's take my car!" said Cody, not waiting for an answer as he ran out the door.

Gary followed him, and his eyes widened when he saw the yellow Mustang Cobra convertible. 

"This is yours?" he asked, when he reached it.

"Yuppers!" said Cody, starting it up. 

Gary got in, looking around it. "Nice. Who's that?" he asked, pointing to a picture keychain hanging from the rearview mirror. 

"My girlfriend, Sab," Cody told him. "She helped me pick this car out."

Gary nodded. "That's cool. She looks nice."

Cody blushed slightly. "Thanks."

They were silent through the ride, and Gary followed Cody into the elevator of the expensive apartment building and onto Frank's floor. 

"Keys?" Gary said to Cody, since he was carrying the fingerprinting supplies.

Cody handed them to him, and Gary unlocked the door, walking into the apartment. He stopped dead at the foot of where the bloodstain had been—Jake and Cody had done a good job of removing most of it, but some discoloration still remained. 

Gary carefully stepped over it and walked further into the apartment. "Nice place."

Cody nodded, setting his things on the kitchen counter. "Yeah. He'll probably move now, though."

Gary nodded, understanding. Walking around, he looked to see if anything seemed out of place. "No one found any clues?"

Cody shook his head. "Nah, just the phone off the hook."

Gary looked at him. "The phone?"

Cody nodded. "Raina was apparently talking to someone when she was killed. We're trying to find whoever she is."

"Yeah," Gary said. "That would sure help to solve the case, but what makes you so sure it's a 'she'?"

Cody glanced at him. "Huh?"

"Maybe it was a man," said Gary, grabbing a fingerprint brush from him. "Maybe she was cheating on Frank, and he killed her."

Cody's mouth dropped. "Frank?!"

"Or her lover."

Cody said nothing, staring. "Frank did _not_ kill her!"

"I'm not saying he did, Cody." Gary dusted the doorknob, raising a few prints. "Maybe her _lover_ killed her. If she _had_ one, I mean. I'm only speculating."

Cody sighed, turning away from him. "I hope she didn't. Frank's already devastated enough. I've _never_ seen him like this."

"Yeah," said Gary. "He's pretty much made of steel, Frank is. Outwardly, at least."

*Yes, that was a reference to 'Deuce Bigelow', which I haven't even really seen yet, lol.


	9. Thickheaded Frank!

Jake, Alex, and Monica listened silently as Frank spoke to Raina's sister about the funeral. They were very much relieved to see that she wasn't siding with her mother against him.

Frank sighed after he hung up the phone. "They aren't having a wake, due to the…circumstances," he said. "The funeral is tomorrow."

The team exchanged looks. The expression on their boss' face was heartbreaking.

"We're so _very_ sorry, Frank," Alex said, gently.

Frank sighed again, saying nothing. 

Suddenly the door opened, and Cody and Gary came back in. 

"Find anything?" said Jake.

"No new clues, if that's what you mean," said Cody, approaching the couch where Frank still sat, seemingly staring into space. "If you mean prints; plenty, but most of them are probably yours, boss. I'll send them out now."

"Thanks, Cody," Frank said, earning a smile from the computer whiz.

"Anything you want us to do, Frank?" Monica asked.

"Keep trying that cell phone number," Frank told her. "The owner has to answer it eventually."

"You want Jake and I to interview the family?" Alex asked. "Try to find out if she had any enemies that you didn't know of?"

Frank nodded. "Yeah. Do that."

Alex and Jake looked at each other, saddened to see that Frank's powers of reasoning were greatly affected by this traumatic situation. If he'd had all his brain's resources, he would've thought of that idea himself.

"Hey Frank."

Frank looked up at Gary, as he approached him. 

"I have a quick errand to run. Anything you want me to do while I'm out?"

Frank thought for a minute, and shook his head.

"Okay," Gary nodded. "Why don't you try to get some sleep, huh?"

Frank shot him a look as if to say, 'yeah, right'.

***************

After Cody sent out the prints, he resumed trying to dig up info on Raina's past, before Frank had met her. He couldn't find much, and was growing annoyed. When his computer suddenly blipped, indicating a response on the prints he'd sent out, he actually felt his stomach do a flop. 

If anyone had been watching him, they would've seen the eager expression change into a disappointed one. Turning around in his chair, he looked up towards Frank's office, wondering what he was doing up there. 

Suddenly he heard footsteps, and watched as Monica came down the stairs. 

"Sup?" he asked.

Monica sighed as she neared him. "I told him that Alex and Jake went to get food."

"And?" said Cody.

She shook her head. "I had to actually beg him to eat, and it didn't work!"

Cody echoed her sigh. "That's crazy."

Monica nodded. "I know. He's gonna make himself sick." Suddenly her face displayed shock. "Oh man! He has no spleen!* His immune system won't be able to handle his not eating!"

Cody had no chance to answer that, as the door opened to admit Jake and Alex. 

Monica strode over, grabbing one of the pizza boxes and rushing to the table with it, throwing it open and pulling slices out, shaking her burned fingers.

"Wow, Monica, I didn't know you were _that_ hungry," said Alex. 

Cody laughed.

Shaking her head, Monica looked at her. "Frank is still refusing to eat. He can't starve himself when he has no spleen!"

Alex and Jake shot pained looks at each other, having not realized the potential danger Frank was putting himself in. 

Picking up the plate, Monica headed for the stairs with the whole team behind her. 

Suddenly Gary walked in, watching in confusion as everyone ran up to Frank's office. Grabbing a slice of pizza, he followed. 

"Frank!" Alex bellowed, as they stormed in.

Frank was lying on his couch, an arm thrown over his eyes. He'd heard the team coming, and prepared for a lecture he really _didn't_ want. 

"Eat this." Alex got right to the point, grabbing the plate and sticking it under his nose.

"I don't want it," Frank told her, not lowering his arm. 

"Why not?" said Gary, holding up his half-eaten slice. "It's real good!"

"Frank," said Monica, gently. "You have no spleen, which compromises your immune system. You know that a compromised immune system has a hard time fighting illness. You also know that a body needs food to be healthy. _Your_ body needs a healthy diet even _more_ then the average person, to help _out_ your struggling immune system! If you continue to shun food, your immune system will have no fuel and…"

"All right! All _right_!"

Monica stopped dead, none of them having expected Frank to suddenly cut in. 

"I don't want to _hear_ it!" he said. "Right now, I don't even _care_ what happens to me!"

"Frank!" Alex exclaimed, shocked at his words. 

"What is it you always tried to drill into us?" said Jake, moving closer. "About not letting our emotions control us. We learned that with a job like this, we need to not only be actors, but _convincing_ ones. We need to do what we have to do, and we can't convince other people unless we convince ourselves _first_. How we do that is by thinking with our brain, instead of our heart." He sighed. "Think with your brain now, Frank, not your heart." He smiled slightly. "You've always been so good at it, don't ruin it now." 

It took a minute for Jake's speech to get through Frank's sluggish mind, and he lowered his arm. "You're right."

Everyone's eyebrows flew up. 

"You're right," Frank said again. "It's nice to know you paid attention to me all this time," he said, regarding Jake's little speech.

Everyone smiled at that.

"I'll eat, I promise," Frank said. "Just…not right now," he told them, with a huge sigh. 

Alex opened her mouth to protest, but Monica's hand on her arm made her stop. Taking the plate, Monica sat it on Frank's desk. 

"We'll leave this here, Frank. Please try to eat it, for your health's sake."

Frank nodded—just to get rid of them, they figured—and they went back downstairs. 

"Wow," said Gary, as they walked to the table. "I didn't realize all that spleen stuff."

"He knows better then this," said Alex. "He learned his lesson."

Gary sensed a story. "And _what_ caused him to learn it?" 

"He go pneumonia really bad only two months after his spleen was removed," said Jake, shoving a piece of pizza into his mouth. "The docs told him that wasn't a good sign."**

Gary nodded, grabbing another slice. "Looks like the poor guy just can't win, in life."

*Caught in the Middle: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=642601

**Trial by Fire: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=689310


	10. Goodbye

As Raina's casket was lowered into the ground, there were many wails of grief. 

Frank closed his eyes, unable to watch. He felt two hands touch his back, one on either side, and he knew they belonged to Alex and Monica.

The collective sobbing continued, as snow began to lightly fall. Frank felt it touch his face and opened his eyes, but closed them quickly when he saw the flakes.

Raina had loved snow.

Having tried desperately to keep his emotions in check, Frank didn't realize he'd raised a hand to cover his eyes until someone touched his arm. 

Opening his eyes again, he was surprised to see Raina's mother standing before him, tears streaming down her face. But instead of seeing anger mixed with her grief, he saw shame.

"I'm so sorry, Frank!" she said, throwing her arms around him.

Frank knew she was apologizing about the previous day's phone call. He sighed in relief to have the burden of her hate removed from his shoulders, and returned her embrace.

"That was so horrible of me!" she moaned. "I feel terrible!"

"It's all right," Frank said. "I understand."

Raina's mother sighed, knowing he'd say that just to make her feel better. Pulling out of the hug, she put a hand to his cheek. "Keep in touch, Frank. I just lost a daughter, I don't want to lose a son too."

Frank almost lost it, at those words. He felt the tears well up, but he blinked them back. He tried to speak but his throat felt constricted, so all he managed was to do was smile and nod.

Patting his arm, Frank's one time mother-in-law-to-be walked away, into the arms of her family members. 

Frank's team stood nearby, watching as a few more people spoke to Frank, including Raina's sister. They were relieved to see that she didn't look strikingly like her late sibling. 

After everyone started to leave, Frank remained where he stood, staring at Raina's grave. He was reluctant to leave—to say goodbye—feeling that if he did, he was turning his back on her forever. 

His team understood, standing a short distance behind him; far enough to give him privacy but close enough to show their support. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Frank turned around, and slowly walked over to them.

The team was saddened at the sight of their boss. He looked good in his black suit and overcoat, but he looked utterly exhausted; there were circles under his eyes and he was pale. His expression seemed dazed; whether from the tragedy, lack of sleep and food—as he still hadn't eaten, to everyone's dismay—or all three. 

The team wordlessly followed him as he walked to Jake's TrailBlazer. As they drove away, Frank kept his eyes on Raina's grave until it was out of sight. 

Jake heard the sigh Frank tried to hide, as he put his elbow on the door rest and his face in his hand. 

"You okay, Frank?" Jake asked, as he pulled out of the cemetery. 

Frank shook his head, to everyone's surprise.

Alex, in the second row of seats next to Monica, reached out her hand and placed it on Frank's arm, hoping to offer comfort.  

The ride back to the Nest was quiet, as no one could think of anything appropriate to say. When they walked in, Frank sat at the table, not having the energy to go up to his office. With another sigh, he pillowed his head on his arms, not moving or saying anything.

The team was surprised at his open display of emotion. It made their worry for him double, and they all sat close by, wanting to be there should he need them. 

Suddenly, Frank spoke. "Prints?" 

Cody sighed. "None besides yours, Gary's, and ours." 

Frank sighed, sitting up straight. "How did the interviews go?"

"No one could think up any enemies," Jake told him. "Not a single one."

Frank scrubbed a hand across his face, slumping down further in the chair. "Opinions?"

Everyone was quiet for a second.

"Did you ever figure that maybe it wasn't an enemy of hers?" said Gary. "Maybe it was an enemy of _yours_, Frank. He may come after _you_ next, or it could be someone just wanting to hurt you in a terrible way."

Everyone looked at him, and back at Frank. 

Frank looked shocked, at that. His mind was so tired and traumatized by the death of his fiancée, that the notion hadn't even entered his mind. _I should've thought of that! _

Cody spun his chair around and scooted over to his computer, ready to look into it.

Wanting to watch, Frank got up from his chair, but suddenly the room spun.

Jake gasped and rushed forward when he saw Frank's legs give out. Grabbing him just before he hit the floor, he and Alex brought him over to the couch, where they sat him down. 

"Frank!" said Alex, when she saw that his eyes were closed. 

Frank sat there totally limp, apparently unconscious. 

"Crap!" Cody exclaimed, having run over with the rest of them. "What'd he pass out from? Grief, exhaustion, or hunger?" He blinked. "Or all three!"

"Who knows," said Monica. "Stubborn man!" 

Alex tapped Frank's cheek. "Frank, wake up!"

He didn't, and Alex gave a frustrated sigh, sitting down beside him, the shift in the cushion making Frank's body slide into her. 

A soft noise came from Frank as she pushed him back into a more stable position, about to lie him down. 

"Frank?" said Monica.

Frank made the noise again; a sound of pain. He raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing it, until his arm dropped back down weakly.

"You all right, Frank?" Gary asked.

"What happened?" Frank asked, opening his eyes. "My head's killing me."

"You passed out," said Jake.

"From hunger, looks like," said Monica, in a scolding tone. "You have practically no blood sugar! That's causing your headache." She pointed a finger at him. "If you don't want to faint again, you're going to eat everything I bring back from the kitchen. Got it?"

Frank slowly nodded, submitting. He'd _never_ admit it, but what just happened had scared him. 

Monica and Alex both went off to the kitchen, leaving the men strict instructions to not let Frank get up. 

Frank closed his eyes, feeling stupid to have let his body grow weak enough with hunger to actually faint. He remembered what Monica'd been saying about the spleen issue, and hoped it wasn't related.

"CODY!" Monica suddenly yelled. "GO GET FOOD!"

Jake gave a short laugh. "I guess there's not much in there."

"Why am I always the one picked to get the grub?" Cody whined. 

"NOW, CODY!" 

Cody jumped up and ran to the door as if he were being chased, pulling out his keys on the way. 


	11. Uh Oh!

After Cody left to get food, Jake and Gary sat down, watching Frank like a hawk.

"Stop staring at me," Frank said, eyes still closed. "I learned my lesson."

"I sure hope so," said Jake. 

"You want some aspirin for your headache?" Gary asked.

Frank opened his mouth to say yes, but Jake cut him off.

"Not while his stomach's empty."  

Gary made a face. "Oh yeah, true."

Monica and Alex came walking back in, with a teapot and a bunch of mugs. 

"Nothing in there was edible," said Monica, pouring the tea. 

"And _someone_ ate the last of the pizza," said Alex, looking at Jake.

Jake spread his hands as if to say, 'so sue me!'

Monica put lots of sugar in the mug before handing it to Frank. "Now, drink it _all_."

As Frank took it, he was struck with a painful sense of déjà vu.

_The smell of tea filled Frank's senses, and he opened his eyes to see a mug before his face._

_"Are you trying to drown me in that stuff?" he asked._

_"It's good for you," Raina told him, handing him the mug. "The more you drink, the quicker your cold will go away." She gave him a smile. "Now, drink it all!"_

_Frank took the mug, but his body chose that moment to sneeze, and some of the tea splashed over the side. _

_"Yeek!" Raina exclaimed, jumping back before it splashed on her. _

_Frank started to laugh. _

_Raina shook her head at him with a mock-stern look, and ran to get a towel. _

"Frank?"

Frank blinked, coming back to himself. Realizing he'd been sitting there staring into space, he sighed, and took a sip of the warm, comforting liquid.

The women expected him to complain about the amount of sugar they'd put in it, but he didn't. After he drank it all, Monica refilled his mug, without even asking him if he wanted more. 

"Feel any better?" Alex asked.

Frank nodded. "A little."

Suddenly the door opened, and Cody came rushing in. "Is he still conscious?"

Frank rolled his eyes, knowing it was a joke.

"How the heck did you do that so fast?" Monica asked, going over to the table.

"I called in the order on my cell phone," Cody answered. "I told the guy it was urgently needed for the FBI and it better be ready when I got there."

Jake laughed at that.

"Are you serious?" Alex asked, helping Monica open the Chinese-food boxes. 

Cody blushed. "Yeah."

Frank was surprised Cody'd done that, and felt even more foolish now, for making his team so worried about him. 

Alex brought a dish over to Frank. As he took it from her, she gave him a stern look, as if to say, 'eat every bite'.

"Pretty mother-henning, aren't they?" Gary asked Jake.

"Yup." Jake nodded, eating a piece of beef teriyaki.

Frank stared at the food for a minute, feeling no desire to eat it. Chinese was his favorite; he hardly ever got tired of it, but right now even the smell wasn't appetizing.

The team saw his struggle, and couldn't even imagine emotional pain of such intensity—to rob him of the will to eat for three days.  

Frank felt their eyes on him, and knew that their worry was growing. Picking up a piece of sweet&sour chicken, he forced himself to eat it. 

"YES!!!" Cody shouted.

Everyone laughed hysterically, having not expected Cody to voice everyone's thoughts. 

Even Frank almost cracked a smile, but it didn't last long before his face grew hot from embarrassment. He felt like a complete and utter fool. 

"Shhh!" he heard. Looking up, he saw that everyone had abruptly stopped laughing.

"Sorry boss," Cody said.

Frank shook his head, as if to say he wasn't offended. Picking up another piece of chicken, he looked up to see everyone turn away from watching him eat. __

_That's better._

As Frank ate, he barely tasted anything. His body was running on autopilot, eating without thought. He was so tired that his head felt like it was going to roll right off his neck, and he suddenly jumped when his head fell forward on it's own accord. 

He nearly gasped when he suddenly saw a face close to his. It was Alex, talking the dish off his lap. 

"You're more asleep then awake, Frank," she said, wishing he'd eaten more then he had. "Lie down."

But Frank shook his head, even as his eyes started closing again. 

_"Frank…" _

At the sound of Raina's voice, Frank opened his eyes and frantically looked around. He was completely alone, and he realized that he'd began to fall asleep, and heard Raina in a just-starting dream. 

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Sitting up on his elbows, he realizing he was flat on the couch, but couldn't remember having laid down. He wondered where everyone was, before realizing that they probably left the room to avoid making any noise that would wake him.

His head still hurt and his body screamed at him to lie back down and sleep, but he knew that if he did, he would dream of Raina. 

Sitting up, he thought back to the funeral. He couldn't accept that his beautiful fiancée was lying in a box in the ground, and the notion brought tears to his eyes. Wiping them away, he stood and headed out of the room.

********************

"How long you think he'll sleep?" Cody whispered.

"Dunno," Alex whispered back, as she and Monica put the food away. "I guess it depends on whether or not any dreams wake him up."

"I never knew Frank to have nightmares," said Gary. "When he was in FBI training, he was always so rock-steady. Nothing seemed to affect him."

"That's what we thought when we first met him," said Jake. "That nothing bothered him." 

"We found out that we were wrong," said Monica. "He holds everything in, and puts on a mask." She shook her head. "This time, he can't maintain that mask."

"Looks like he didn't maintain his nap, either," said Cody, looking out the window.

"What?!"

Everyone ran over, to see that Frank had changed out of his suit and was heading towards his car.

Alex made a sound of shock. "He can't drive, in that condition! He's hardly slept for three days!"

Everyone quickly ran towards the door. By the time they reached it, Frank was already starting the engine. 

"I bet I know where he's going," said Jake, running out the door.

"Follow him!" Alex yelled, as Frank drove off.

"What do you think I'm doing!" Jake yelled back, jumping into his truck. 

Frank was on autopilot, feeling a floating sensation in his head from his utter exhaustion. Blinking his eyes repeatedly, he tried to focus on the road. 

When Jake saw Frank get on the highway, he felt a stab of fear hit his stomach. _He's gonna crash and kill someone! Or himself!_


	12. Potential Disaster

As Frank continued to drive down the highway, he became slightly more aware of his surroundings, and realized that he needed something to keep him awake. Seeing the radio, he hit the button, figuring music would help.

He didn't realize his mistake until it was too late.

Thelove songthat was playingcaused an actual physical pain to grip his chest, and his breathing came faster and faster, in response to his utter devastation.

Jake increased his speed when Frank did, looking at the speedometer in surprise when it took a while for him to catch up.

His dial read 85.

Jake looked back up when he heard a car beep its horn, and watched in horror as Frank continued to speed up, and veer out of his lane and around the car in front of him.

Jake dug out his cell phone; about to call Frank, when he realized that he probably didn't have his phone with him. Even if he did, Jake doubted he was capable of talking on the phone and driving at the same time.

Frank was hardly aware of his actions, as he continued to drive like a maniac, his grief blinding him to the danger.

Jake suddenly had an idea, and he dialed a phone number as his speedometer approached 95. He heard Frank hit his horn again, and watched as his apparently insane boss pulled into the high-speed lane and nearly knocked someone else off the highway.

Having finished his call, Jake threw his phone on the passenger seat, his pulse rate jumping up as fast as his car's speed as he watched, not able to believe what he was seeing.

Frank quickly caught up to the next vehicle, swerved into the next lane, and back again, now in front of the other car.

Jake started beeping his own horn to try to get Frank's attention, but it didn't seem to have an effect, as Frank continued to go faster. Jake saw with relief that people in the cars ahead of them were moving out of Frank's lane, thankfully recognizing the danger.

With a gasp of shock, Jake suddenly realized that there was a dangerous bend ahead; a curve that would not be hazardous to someone driving at a _normal_ speed…

Frank approached the bend, and nearly lost control of his car. The backend swung out and he veered into the next lane, but there was no one on his right, everyone thankfully avoiding him.

Jake watched the near-accident with growing horror. "Stop, Frank!" he said aloud, in desperation. "Pull into the breakdown lane, will you!"

Frank had no intentions of such a thing, and hit the radio's power button to shut it off, realizing that it was still playing.

At this point, the highway split; the main, busier part veering off to the right, and a much less occupied highway continuing straight.

Jake prayed that Frank would continue straight, and when he did, he felt dizzy with relief.

Suddenly the sound of sirens filled the air and a police Expedition came up the next lane, pulling in front of Jake.

It took a while for Frank to realize he was being pulled over, and when he did, it seemed to bring him out of his disoriented fog. He was stunned to see that he was going 115mph and he quickly slowed down, pulling into the breakdown lane.

Jake also pulled over and quickly jumped out. Reaching Chief Morgan as he got out of his Expedition, he sighed in relief. "Thank God you were nearby!"

"Yeah," said Morgan, as they approached Frank's car. "A bunch of people called in about the 'psycho driver'."

Reaching the Volvo, Jake opened the door to see Frank with his arms on the steering wheel, resting his forehead against them.

"Frank?" he said, touching his arm.

Frank slowly lifted his head, looking at them in bewilderment at what he'd just done. When he saw the concerned expression on Morgan's face, he realized that he perhaps was _not_ about to lose his license for going 115 in a 65mph zone.

He opened his mouth to speak, to try to explain himself, but nothing came out.

When Chief Morgan saw the state his friend was in, he sighed heavily and shook his head. "Get him outta here, Jake."

Jake nodded, taking Frank's arm and pulling him out of the car. He could feel Frank shaking, and kept an arm around him as he lead him to his truck. After he got him inside, he went back over to Morgan.

"What about Frank's car?"

Morgan gestured to the keys that Frank—obviously still not thinking clearly—had left in the ignition. "I'll bring it back for him. I called another officer to come get my Expedition."

"Thanks," said Jake, with a relieved sigh. "For _everything_."

Morgan nodded, knowing that Jake was referring to sparing Frank a ticket and license suspension.

A police cruiser suddenly pulled up, and an officer got out of the passenger door.

"What're we doing, Chief?" he asked.

"You're following us in my truck."

The officer nodded and told his partner, who pulled back onto the highway.

As Morgan got into Frank's Volvo, Jake got into his TrailBlazer. Frank was slumped in the seat, rubbing his forehead.

"Frank? You okay?" Jake asked, concerned.

Frank sighed and looked at him. "If you can call it that."

Jake considered it a good sign that Frank had actually answered him. As he pulled back onto the highway, he sighed in relief that the Volvo behind them was still intact, and the car's owner was beside him unscathed.


	13. Plop! lol

When Jake pulled into the Nest, the whole team ran outside, in massive relief to see that Frank had not been involved in an accident. 

Chief Morgan held Frank's keys out to him, and Frank took them, with a sigh.

"Steve…"

"I know, Frank," Morgan said, patting his shoulder. "I know."

"Thanks," Frank said, sounding guilty.

"Anytime. Listen to your team, they know what's good for you," Morgan said, turning and walking to his Expedition. 

Everyone watched Frank as he walked towards the door, head down. Following him inside, they were silent as Frank headed towards the couch, sitting down heavily. It took him a minute to figure out how Morgan had entered the picture, and he looked at Jake. 

"Frank?" said Jake, seeing his puzzlement.

"You followed me," Frank said. "And called Morgan."

Jake nodded. "I knew that was the only way you'd stop."

Frank sighed, still in shock at what he'd done. "Thank you, Jake. You undoubtedly saved my life, and the lives of others."

Jake smiled slightly, with a nod. "Yeah, I agree with that. You're welcome."

"You need to sleep, Frank," said Alex. 

Frank sighed. He knew she was right, but he couldn't handle dreaming about Raina.

"These mother hens know what they're talking about," said Gary.

Cody cleared his throat loudly and Jake looked at him, realizing that he was trying to tell him something. 

Cody moved his head in the direction of the kitchen, and Jake figured it out. Nodding, he went into the kitchen, and got out the sleeping pills.

Monica came in a minute later, bringing the teapot over to the sink.

"That for Frank?" Jake asked.

Monica nodded. "You want some too?"

Jake shook his head, putting back the glass he'd been about to fill with water, knowing Frank wouldn't want it if he was having tea. 

Monica looked at him when he remained standing there, watching the teapot. "What?"

In answer, Jake held up the bottle of pills.

Monica's eyebrows shot up, but she said nothing. 

It didn't take too long for the water to boil, and Monica poured it into the cup with Jake dropping the pill in. 

Walking back into the room, they saw that Frank was looking over Cody's shoulder, at whatever he was doing at the computer.  

Monica handed him the cup, and Frank thanked her, taking a sip. Monica had made it just how he liked it, adding a lot of milk so that it wasn't really hot. He drank it all at once, not seeing Jake and Monica whisper something to the other team members. 

Looking at Frank, everyone saw him put the mug down; not knowing he'd drank it all. They watched as he stayed in the same spot, occasionally saying something to Cody. He didn't pick up the mug again. 

Alex made an irked face at Jake, thinking he'd only taken one sip, and decided not to drink the rest.

Wanting to see how much tea Frank had drank, Jake walked over to him, as if wanting to watch Cody's investigating. 

Frank yawned and closed his eyes, unnoticed by Jake, who glanced at the mug, seeing with surprise that it was empty. Unfortunately, he looked at it for too long.

_*thump*_

Jake turned, too late to catch Frank, who fell asleep on his feet and crashed to the floor.

Alex and Monica made exclamations of shock and ran over. 

"Crap!" Alex exclaimed. "Did he hit his head?!"

"I don't know!" said Jake, kneeling, angry at himself for having been right next to Frank, but too late to help.

Cody grabbed the mug. "He drank it all!"

"Yeah," said Jake. "I wish we'd _known_!"

"Let's get him to the couch," said Alex, grabbing Frank under the arms. 

Gary moved to take her place but Alex didn't let him, as she and Jake again deposited Frank onto the sofa.

Monica felt his head for a bump, and didn't find one. "I think he's okay."

"Gonna have some nice bruises, probably," said Cody.

Jake mentally kicked himself. 

"It wasn't your fault, Jake," Alex said to him, as if reading his mind.

Jake shrugged at her, shaking his head.

"Well," said Cody. "While we wait for Rip Van Winkle to wakey wakey, I'm gonna keep trying to get some info. It'd be nice to have something for him when he wakes up." He suddenly made a sheepish face. "Besides aspirin." 

********************

Frank was out for a good ten hours, waking around 9:30pm. It took a while for sleep to relinquish its hold on him and he awakened very slowly, groggily staring at the ceiling. 

He heard movement to his left, but felt so foggy that he couldn't identify it. 

"Frank?" he suddenly heard. "You okay?"

Frank frowned. Why was Jake asking him that? _How did I get on the couch?_

Shifting his position, Frank noticed that the right side of his body ached, especially his arm. He hadn't the slightest idea of why. 

Blinking his eyes, he tried to focus and sat up, putting his face in his hands, feeling extremely lightheaded. Strange, the last time he'd felt this way upon awakening was when he'd taken one of the sleeping pills in the kitchen. He'd avoided them after that.

A hand touched his arm, drawing him back to reality. It was Alex, and they were all staring at him.

Frank looked at his watch and was shocked at the time. He thought back to what he remembered last. Tea. 

Everyone saw the look on his face change dramatically.

"Whose idea was it?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh?" said Cody.

"Who slipped me the sleeping pill?"

Cody made a shocked sound. "And you thought he'd never figure it out, Jake!" When he realized he'd accidentally ratted on his friend, he said, "Oops."

Frank looked at Jake.

Jake was surprised that he didn't look angry. "Sorry, boss…"

Frank sighed, rubbing an eye. "I'm not angry Jake, I understand why you did it, but don't do it again, those things don't agree with me."

Everyone shot him concerned looks. 

"I'm fine," he told them before they could ask.

"What about the rest of you?" said Cody. "You hit the floor pretty hard."

_Figures. _"Well, that explains it," Frank said, sitting back against the couch. He suddenly realized that someone was missing. "Where's Gary?"

"Went home," said Cody. "He has a dog, had to feed it and stuff." He suddenly pulled out his cell phone, and started dialing. "I told him I'd call to let him know when you woke up. Hey Gary…yeah, he's awake, doesn't appear to have hit his head. Either that or his head's hard as a rock." He laughed at the look Frank gave him. "I'll tell him. Bye."

"Tell me what?" Frank asked.    

"He'll be here in the morning," Cody said.

Frank nodded. His still-foggy mind realized that he should get Gary's cell phone number, since he's working on the case with them. "What's the number to his cell phone?" he asked, looking around for his own.

"He doesn't have one, he gave me his home number," said Cody.

"Doesn't have one?" Alex echoed. "A federal agent with no cell phone?"

Frank also thought that odd. "All the time I knew him, he was never without one."

Cody shrugged. "Maybe he lost it."

Frank saw his phone on the table, and started to stand, to retrieve it.

"I'll get it," said Monica, spotting it. 

"Thanks," Frank said, taking it from her and handing it to Cody.

Cody frowned for a second, before realizing Frank wanted him to program Gary's number in it for him.

"This has to stop," Frank suddenly said.

"What does?" said Jake.

"Sitting here with everyone staring at me. We have to find Raina's killer!"

"I looked up past cases and tried to locate anyone who could have a grudge against you," Cody said, handing Frank back his phone. "Most of them have been accounted for, either being in jail, dead, or confirmed as being in another state or country."

"And the ones who _aren't_ accounted for?" Alex asked.

"Still looking for them."

"Got any names?" Jake asked. 

"Yeah. Tommy Zelano, for one," said Cody.

No one said anything, the name bringing back bad memories. Tommy Zelano* had been a drug dealer that had preyed on kids. They all took it quite personal when one young boy died. 

"I can't believe they let that jerk out!" Monica exclaimed.

"Time off for good behavior," sighed Cody. 

Frank sighed too. "Anything else been found out?"

"We keep calling that cell phone number," said Alex. "Voice mail picks up each time."

"This is ridiculous," said Frank, rubbing his forehead.

"Where did Raina live?" Alex suddenly asked. "I mean, did she have her own place?" 

Frank nodded, realizing what he should've thought of already, if his brain hadn't been so muddled. "She lived in the same building as me. That's how we met."

"Then that apartment is our first stop tomorrow morning," said Jake.

*Unwritten story, as of yet, but some details regarding Tommy Zelano are mentioned in 'Caught in the Middle' http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=642601


	14. A Clue, or NOT a Clue? THAT is the Quest...

As everyone walked into Raina's apartment the next day, they were surprised to find it in tip-top shape, having expected the killer to have possibly ransacked it. 

Everyone split up; Alex and Monica keeping an eye on Frank, not knowing how he'd react to being in his late fiancée's home.

Frank had a dazed look on his face as he looked around, seeing all of Raina's things. He walked into the living room, his heart saying no while his mind said yes. 

The first thing he looked at tore him up inside. There was an 8x10 framed picture on the wall that Raina's sister had taken, and Raina had gotten enlarged. It showed the two of them standing in front of Lake Michigan; Frank's arms around Raina's waist, her hair flying in the wind and the water behind them. They were both smiling. 

Jake and Monica heard Frank's sharp intake of breath, and turned to see him staring at the picture. 

_"Frank?"_

_"Yes?" _

_"What exactly do you want out of life?"_

_Frank thought for a minute, as he and Raina walked along Lake Michigan, holding hands. He was surprised when he had a hard time coming up with an answer._

_"I mean," Raina continued. "You have probably THE most dangerous job in the world. Do you want to do it forever?"_

_"Well," said Frank. "I plan to stay there for the immediate future, I don't want to switch to a different department. I imagine someday I'll retire." _

_Raina nodded, with a sigh. "I would never force you to give it up, but…I worry, Frank. I worry that one day you'll go off to work, but not come home." _

_Frank sighed and stopped walking, turning her to face him. Before he had a chance to say anything, Raina's sister caught up to them, having gone to get everyone lemonade._

_"Oh guys, what a picture that would make!" she exclaimed, setting the lemonade cups on a bench, and pulling a camera out of her purse. "Say cheese!"_

_Frank and Raina smiled at her, Frank pulling Raina close. _

"Frank?"

Frank came back to the present to find Jake and Monica standing beside him. Blinking his eyes, he realized they were filled with unshed tears, and he closed them with a sigh.

Monica and Jake led him to the couch and sat him down, Monica sitting beside him, keeping her hand on his shoulder. 

"I'm all right," Frank told her, with another sigh. "Keep looking for clues."

Monica watched him for a minute, as if trying to decide for herself if he was all right or not. Finally she nodded, giving his shoulder a pat as she stood. 

Frank sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees and scrubbing his hands over his face. _How am I going to get through this? _he asked himself. _How?_

Opening his eyes, his gaze fell onto the coffee table, where Raina's address book sat. Picking it up, he stuck it into his pocket, realizing it might containe the address of the person Raina'd been talking to when she was killed.

Gary suddenly walked into the livingroom, seeing a miserable-looking Frank sitting on the couch. He opened his mouth to ask Frank if he was all right, but changed his mind, knowing it was a stupid question. 

Sitting on the couch beside him, he waited until Frank looked at him before he spoke. "I haven't found anything to suggest who might've done it."

Frank sighed, looking around at his team, who were still looking, but didn't appear to have found anything either. 

"People," he called. "Anything?"

Everyone stopped and looked at him, shaking their heads. 

Frank sighed and stood, unable to remain in the apartment any longer. "I'll be outside."

The team nodded and watched as he left. 

"Poor guy," said Cody.

********************

Going outside, Frank got into Jake's TrailBlazer and sat there for a minute, trying not to think or feel, but it was utterly impossible. With a sigh, he opened the address book to the letter A, and started reading. 

********************

The team finished their search of Raina's apartment quickly, not wanting Frank to wait for them too long. When they left and reached Jake's truck, they were surprised to find Frank asleep. 

Everyone tried to quietly get in, not wanting to wake him. They succeeded until Jake started the engine. 

The sound made Frank jump, and he looked around as if not realizing where he was. The disorientation only lasted a few seconds, and he sat up straighter in the seat. 

"We didn't find anything," said Jake, as he pulled onto the road.

"I'm not surprised," Frank said, leaning his arm on the frame of the window.

During the ride back to the Nest, everyone was quiet. 

Frank kept the address book in his hand, nervously tapping it against his leg. He had to force away the doubt and the fear that he felt, that they would never find Raina's killer. _No! _he thought to himself. _We'll find him, and we'll find the address of whoever Raina talked to in this phone book!_

When they arrived at the Nest, Frank resumed his position on the couch, continuing to read the address book. Picking up where he'd left off, he suddenly gasped when he saw the cell phone number that had called Raina that day.

But there was no name with it. 

"Find something?" Gary asked, walking over.

"The cell phone number of the person who called Raina!" Frank exclaimed.

Gary came closer, looking at the book. It did indeed list the correct number, but there was no indication whatsoever of who it belonged to.

Frank made a sound of utter frustration. "There's no name!" He turned the page to see if it was listed again by any chance, but it wasn't. 

The rest of the team had come over by now, alarmed by the almost panicked sound to Frank's voice; a sound they weren't accustomed to hear coming from their boss.

Alex took the book from Frank, wanting to see for herself. Shaking her head, she flipped a few pages forward before flipping back. "It's in the letter G," she said. 

"Who did she know with a last name beginning with that letter?" Gary asked.

Frank shook his head as he thought. "No one I can think of." Grabbing the address book, he looked at it again, as if making sure his eyes hadn't deceived him. 

The team exchanged glances, wondering how much more Frank could take. 

Closing the book, Frank tossed it onto the coffee table, looking dejected. 

"Don't give up, Frank," said Monica, feeling strange saying such a thing to him. "The number might be written somewhere else."

"I'll look," said Cody, picking it up. 

Jake tried calling the cell phone number again. "Voice mail," he sighed, hanging up. Suddenly he frowned. "Frank, did Raina have an answering machine?"

Frank looked up at him, realizing what he was saying. 

Cody hadn't paid attention, as he read the address book. "Huh?"

"Maybe the person who owns the cell phone left Raina a message!" Monica told him.

Frank jumped up and headed for the door, hearing footsteps behind him as he ran to his car. 

"I'll take you, Frank!" It was Gary. "We'll take my car, you're still too tired to drive safely."

Frank submitted without argument, not wanting to cause any delay. 

Gary got there in record time, and they hurried up to Raina's apartment. 

Quickly entering, Frank ran into the livingroom and hit the button on the machine. 

"You have no new messages," it said.

Frank sighed loudly, dropping onto the couch. 

"Oh man," said Gary. 

Frank shook his head, unable to believe that no matter how hard they tried, they could _not_ get a real, solid clue.


	15. Betrayal

Having found out that Raina's answering machine was a dead end, Gary took a step towards the door, thinking they were leaving.

"Go ahead," said Frank. "I'll be down in a minute."

Gary nodded and left.

Frank sighed again and stood, leaving the apartment and taking the elevator up to his floor. Entering his apartment, he went over to his own answering machine, wondering if he'd missed any important messages of his own.

"You have 3 new messages," it said. "First message: Monday, 2:21pm."

Frank frowned, realizing that Raina had been there—alive—at the time of the first message…the very day of her murder.

"Hello?" Frank heard. It was Raina, and the sound of her sweet voice made him shudder and close his eyes. Her voice sounded breathless, as if she had tried to reach the phone before the machine answered the call.

"Raina."

A man. Frank reopened his eyes. The voice sounded familiar, though it sounded slightly garbled. The man was obviously on a cell phone…

"What do you want?" Raina exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"You _know_ what I want," said the man. "You."

Frank heard Raina sigh. "You know I don't love you. I love Frank."

"You loved me once!" the man whined.

"No I didn't! You pursued me. I never loved you, Gary."

Frank suddenly felt like he'd been shot in the chest. Gary! Raina had been talking to Gary! Frank's mind spun as the implications set in. Gary knew Raina, had been in love with her, and didn't tell him! 

"I'm on my way over there, Raina."

"No you're not!" Raina exclaimed. "Give up, Gary. Frank and I are engaged!"

There was silence for a second.

"Engaged?!" Gary snarled.

"That's right," Raina said, sounding happy and firm at the same time. "I won't leave Frank for _you_!" she spat.

Gary was silent again for a minute. "I'm already there, Raina. I'm gonna make you see reason!"

"Gary…" 

Suddenly Frank heard what sounded like a door open, and Raina gasped.

"Sheesh," Gary said. "You think you'd know to lock the door, being engaged to a federal agent, and all."

Suddenly Frank heard a bang, and he knew it was the phone falling. His blood boiled when he heard a grunt, and knew that Gary had pulled her away from the phone. 

The voices grew much softer, and Frank strained his ears to hear what was being said. He jumped when he suddenly heard Raina scream, and the obvious sounds of the stabbing. As he heard her body drop to the floor, he heard Gary's muffled mutters, and then heard him leave the apartment.

Frank's head spun; he felt every ounce of strength he had quickly drain out of his body, and he nearly slumped to the floor. He had just heard his fiancée's murder, and her killer was not only the person who was trying to 'help' them, but was also a friend whose life Frank had once saved! He felt like he couldn't breathe. 

Suddenly, he realized that Gary was outside, waiting for him. Blind rage filled Frank, and he tried to bring his trembling body under control. 

What he didn't know was that Gary had come looking for him, and had heard the end of the 'message'.

"Now you know how _I_ felt, Frank."

Frank turned around, seeing Gary standing just inside the door. 

"That's how I felt when I realized I'd lost her to you forever. Blind anger." Gary walked into the apartment, closing the door behind him. "What you felt before that is how I felt after I killed her." He sighed. "I never meant to kill her, Frank."

Frank said nothing, staring at his friend—the man who had killed his fiancée. 

"She told me that no man could ever compare to you," Gary continued, his voice laced with venom. "She said that I could never hope to be _one-tenth_ of the man that you are!" Suddenly he pulled out his gun and fired it at Frank.

Frank didn't move out of the way fast enough, but the bullet didn't hit him. He knew that Gary was a crack-shot and had missed on purpose, obviously toying with him. 

"That's why I killed her," Gary continued, walking closer to Frank, who was sliding to the right, maintaining a distance.

"When she said those things to me, something else took over, and suddenly I was plunging a knife into her body...one of _your_ kitchen knives!" said Gary, with a sigh. "I loved her so much," he said, in a choked-up voice. "But now she's dead…and not because of _me_, but because of _you_!"

Bringing up the gun again, Gary fired once more. Frank's traumatized mind took until now to realize that Gary had a silencer on the gun…no one else in the building would hear the shots.

"Gary…"

"Shut up!" Gary yelled. 

Frank just looked at him, his rage building. 

They tried to stare each other down for a minute, before Frank's fear for his life—as he was unarmed—lessened as his anger continued to grow. 

"I saved your life!" he exclaimed. "I took a bullet meant for you!"

"You took my bullet, but also my woman!" Gary yelled.

"She was _never_ yours! She didn't want you, she wanted _me_!"

Gary raised the gun again, walking closer to Frank, who sprinted to the right and into the kitchen, ducking behind the counter. 

"You can't get away from me, Frank!" Gary exclaimed, shooting his gun again.

Frank looked around for any kind of weapon. He was nowhere near the kitchen drawer that contained the knives, and his spare gun was in the livingroom. Listening to Gary walking closer, he bolted into the hallway.

Gary knew he couldn't hit Frank but he fired his gun anyway, hoping to scare his former friend. Following him at a run, he stopped before entering the hallway, taking a slow step into it, pointing his gun.

Frank was standing against the wall, and he grabbed Gary's arm, trying to get the gun away from him. 

Gary expected it, and pulled one arm back before Frank was able to grab it, and punched Frank in the face.

Frank saw stars, but kept his grip on Gary's arm, trying to twist the gun out of his grasp.

Gary pushed Frank against the wall and tried to kick his legs out from under him, as Frank continued to struggle for the gun; his body weakened by grief and his abuse of not eating or sleeping for three days. 

Gary punched him a second time and tried again to kick Frank's legs out from under him. This time Frank let him, hoping that his body weight would make Gary fumble and fall himself, losing his grip on the gun. 

However, as they fell it didn't quite work; Gary landed on top of him and knocked the breath from his lungs. Frank fought not to show it as Gary tried shifting his arm around, pointing the gun in Frank's face and grabbing his throat with the other hand, squeezing it painfully. 

In desperation, Frank took one hand off Gary's arm and punched him in the nose, as hard as he could. 

Gary grunted and fell back, helping Frank finally succeed in getting the gun. 

Before Frank had a chance to fire—or gather the strength to aim the gun at him—Gary scrambled up and bolted for the door.

Ignoring the pain in his face and head from Gary's punches, Frank got to his feet and followed. He heard a door bang ahead of him, and followed the sound. Approaching a stairwell, he quickly ran into it.

Suddenly he was grabbed and pushed; sent flying towards the staircase. Frank grabbed onto the rail, but the momentum was too much, and he tumbled down the first flight, coming to a painful stop on the landing. 

He realized that he'd lost his gun, and prayed that it'd gone down the stairs. 

Frank couldn't see Gary, but he suddenly heard him walking. Closing his eyes, he pretended to be unconscious, praying that his body wouldn't betray him and pass out for real.

Suddenly Frank heard clapping. 

"Very good, Frank," said Gary. "That was a real nice tumble; I bet you even broke something! I know you're awake so stop playing dead will ya." 

Oh no! Did I leave the chapter off there? Did I? Did I REALLY? Opps! ;)


	16. Let Justice be Done

Frank saw that he wasn't fooling Gary, so he opened his eyes and tried to move, wincing at the pain. "Before you kill me," he said. "I just want to know one thing. _Why?_"

Gary stopped, sitting on a step halfway down the flight. "I loved her," he said. "She loved you. I tried to get her back and she refused!" He suddenly sighed. "I had no idea your answering machine had recorded that message, or I would've taken the tape when I went with Cody to lift prints."

Frank suddenly realized something. "That's why you volunteered to go with him. So that when he found your prints in my apartment, it would make sense."

Gary nodded, with a sinister smile. "Exactly. And when the phone company gave you my cell phone number, I had to ditch it. That phone is now sitting at the bottom of Lake Michigan."

Frank sighed, wincing again as pain laced through his battered body. "Your number was in her address book under 'G' for 'Gary'."

Gary laughed. "Yup. Pure luck, for me, that she didn't write my name with it!"

As if Frank wasn't enraged already, he suddenly remembered something that made him so angry that he tried to get up despite the massive pain. _"Where is her ring?"_ he spat, out of clenched teeth, as he managed to get himself into a sitting position against the wall. 

Gary smiled and stuck his hand into a pocket. "You mean this?"

At the sight of his beloved fiancée's ring, the ring that he had bought and placed on her finger, Frank eyes nearly welled with tears. 

"You know what, Frank?" said Gary. "Here, you can die holding it. Holding the ring that _I_ should've given her!" With that, he tossed it at him, where it landed nearby. 

Frank reached a trembling hand to pick it up, gasping when his right arm screamed at him. Realizing it was probably broken, he had to reach his left arm across his body, relieved when it only responded with an ache. 

Lifting the ring, he stared at it, seeing in his mind Raina's face reflected in the beautiful diamond's prisms. 

"Say your prayers, Frank," said Gary, coming down the steps. "You destroyed my life, in taking from me the woman I loved, and making me kill her!" He suddenly stopped, giving him a rueful look. "I bet you're welcoming death, Frank! Now you can be with her again!"

Frank wondered where Gary was going, as he passed him and started down the next flight of steps. With a sudden flash of anxiety, Frank realized that the gun must've landed in sight, and he was retrieving it. 

Frank closed his eyes in fear, knowing that there was no way for him to get up the flight of stairs and through the door before Gary returned. Suddenly hearing a noise, he looked up, to see Jake unexpectedly enter the stairwell. 

When Jake saw his boss, his eyebrows shot up and he was about to run over, but Gary started coming back up the steps. Instead, Jake darted to the side, hiding from view.

"Goodbye, Frank," Gary said, reaching the landing. "It was nice knowing you at first, but terrible knowing you later!"

When Frank heard the gunshot echo painfully through the stairwell, his heartbeat skipped, thinking Gary had actually shot him. But then he opened his eyes to see an expression of shock on Gary's face, and the gun dropped from his hand. A red stain quickly spread across his chest, and Gary slowly turned his head to see Jake at the top of the stairs, pointing a smoking gun at him. 

Without another word he dropped to the floor, dead. 

"Geez, Frank!" Jake exclaimed, seeing that his boss was hurt badly; the knowledge made obvious by the fact that Frank seemed incapable of moving. 

"Where are you, Jake?!" Alex exclaimed, having heard the shot over her earpiece. 

"In the stairwell on Frank's floor!" he told her, as he knelt beside his boss. "Where are you hurt?" he asked.

Frank sighed heavily, closing his eyes with a wince.

"Okay," said Jake. "Where _aren't_ you hurt?"

Before Frank had a chance to answer, the stairway door banged open loudly, as Cody came barreling down the steps. 

"Thank God!" he exclaimed, when he saw Gary dead and Frank alive.

"How did you know it was Gary?" Frank asked, as they tried to lift him to his feet. 

"The address book," Jake said, pausing in assisting Frank, when his boss gave off a pained sound. 

"G for Gary," said Cody, giving him a concerned look. "And the fact that he had no cell phone…I bet he ditched it."

"Exactly," Frank answered, closing his eyes to assess himself. If neither of his legs were broken, then he would force himself to walk out of here, not wanting to be carried out on a stretcher. 

The door banged open again, as Monica and Alex ran in. 

"Is he all right?!" Alex yelled.

"We're trying to figure that out," Cody told her. "Looks like he was thrown down the steps?" he asked.

Frank nodded at him. "I can walk," he decided. 

"Wait!" said Monica, in alarm. "Does your neck or back hurt?"

Frank made a face at her. "Of course."

She frowned, but decided that if he'd broken either, then he wouldn't be sitting up.

As the men again reached for his arms, Frank flinched away from Jake. "Broken," he said.

Jake sighed, carefully placing his hand under Frank's shoulder, instead. 

Together they got him up, holding onto him tightly when he practically doubled over in pain. 

When they finally reached the top of the staircase, people could be heard running in their direction and the door banged open yet again, admitting Chief Morgan and some of his officers.

"That's the killer," Jake told him, gesturing behind himself. 

Morgan looked immensely relieved to see Frank alive. "You all right, Frank?"

Frank nodded carefully, trying to straighten up, but his whole body was killing him. "I will be, now."

Morgan nodded back, understanding exactly what he meant. Moving to the side, he watched as Jake and Cody helped Frank out the door. 


	17. Goodbye, Forever

Raina Shine 

_12/6/1972—01/28/2003_

_Beloved daughter, sister, and fiancée._

Frank sighed heavily, as he stood at Raina's grave. Snow gently fell around him, and he looked at the beautiful bouquet of pink roses—Raina's favorite color—that her family had obviously left. 

Looking at the tombstone, his eyes fell on the word, 'fiancée'. He remembered how happy Raina had been when he asked her to become his wife, and he was crushed that she didn't live long enough for the two of them to marry. He wanted it just as much—if not more—then she did.

His eyes fell onto her name. Raina Shine. The first time she told him, he thought she'd been joking. Raina Shine. Rain or shine. When she showed him her license as proof, the look on his face must've been priceless.

Frank's slight smile quickly evaporated, as he came back to reality. His left leg was aching—having received a hairline fracture thanks to his tumble down the metal stairs—and he leaned on what he insisted on calling his 'walking stick', rather then 'cane'. 'Walking stick' was a better word for it anyway, as it was very nice looking, reminiscent of the ones that Englishmen used to carry around in the 19th century. 

Frank sighed, as he thought back to the past two days. His team had stayed with him in the hospital all that first night. He'd needed so many x-rays that the doctors decided to admit him, making it easier on them to have him in a room ready when they were.

Frank had been given painkillers that made him drowsier than he already was, and he'd quickly fallen asleep, not waking through all the x-rays, the casting of his left arm, and even the taping of a few cracked ribs. His entire body was a mass of painful bumps and bruises, but the fracture in his thighbone was very short and thin, luckily, so they'd told him that if he stayed off it, they wouldn't need to cast it. 

Of course he wasn't following their directions. 

With a sigh, Frank suddenly thought back to Gary. He felt horribly betrayed; the man had been his friend, his superior, and his trainer in the FBI academy. He vividly remembered the day he'd saved Gary's life, by taking a bullet meant for him. If he'd ever known that Gary was going to murder his fiancée, seven years later…

The wind suddenly picked up, making Frank shiver. The snow was starting to get heavier, and he knew that he'd better leave before he was incapable of driving through it with only one arm. Walking forward, he stuck his hand into his pocket, taking out her engagement ring and looking at it. Shifting his weight onto his right leg, he reached out his hand and touched his late-fiancée's name. 

Fighting tears, he closed his eyes. "I love you, Raina," he said, aloud. 

The wind whipped around him again, and he took one more glance at the grave before turning around and pulling up the collar on his coat. 

_"I love you too, Frank," _he thought he heard, as he walked away. 

THE END

*sniff sniff* I feel so bad for doing that to Frank! *sniff* How sad, lol. Thanks, everyone, for your awesome reviews! I appreciate them so much! :) Everyone who knew Gary was the killer raise your hand! LOL ;)  


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